Commerce Street idea gets cold reception

By Scott Huddleston - Express-News :
April 5, 2010

A proposal to restore two-way traffic to a portion of Commerce Street downtown has run up against a wave of worry and skepticism.

The idea recently emerged from a series of East Side meetings as a way to make amends for conversion of Commerce to a one-way street for HemisFair '68. Many have said the move isolated St. Paul Square, one of the city's most prominent African American historic districts, from San Antonio's downtown prosperity.

But downtown business owners and residents said it may be too late to reverse that decision — and two of the four lanes of traffic on Commerce that have carried vehicles west through downtown for more than 40 years.

While most were sympathetic to businesses near the Alamodome that have failed to reap projected benefits from the NCAA Women's Final Four and other events, most said the proposal would add to congestion on Commerce.

“I would just throw the study out the window and forget it,” longtime River Walk business owner Bill Lyons said at a public meeting attended by about 50 people on Monday.

Chris Oviatt, general manager of Rivercenter mall, said traffic on Commerce comes to a standstill by the mall for at least 30 minutes, and sometimes more than an hour, about 30 times each year. He criticized the study as “myopically focused” on one traffic “artery.”

Taking Oviatt's analogy a step further, Crockett Hotel General Manager Bill Brendel said downtown would need a “coronary bypass” to make the Commerce proposal work.

Some suggested other ways to direct locals and visitors to Sunset Station and businesses in St. Paul Square, including pedestrian water features, realignment of other streets and more signage directing motorists to other downtown highway exits.

The city had hoped to finish its feasibility study in six to eight weeks. But Public Works Director Majed Al-Ghafry said it may need to take more time to consider everyone's concerns. The idea emerged from East Side summit meetings organized by Mayor Julián Castro and Councilwoman Ivy Taylor, he said.

Stakeholders at those meetings determined that “we needed to be connected to the East Side” from downtown, Al-Ghafry said.

“We needed to be one city,” he said.

Some suggested the scope of the study be widened to include impact on other streets and areas downtown. Ben Brewer, president of the Downtown Alliance, said the city needs to consider plans for a future Convention Center expansion, redevelopment of HemisFair Park and long-sought efforts by Alamo enthusiasts to close Alamo Plaza to traffic.

“It's a tough task to do in six to eight weeks,” Brewer said.

Lou Miller, an East Side advocate and VIA board member, said he hopes the study will somehow help St. Paul Square. The area had thrived after World War II as an entertainment district, with performances by the likes of Count Basie and Louis Armstrong. Miller said he was intrigued by the idea of realigning Market Street to serve St. Paul.

“There needs to be an easier way to get people there. I know we can find a way to do it,” Miller said.